The Santa Encounter
by bigbangenthusiast
Summary: Sheldon tries to avoid the mall Santa, but Leah is persistent.


Sheldon smiled down at his daughter. They had just chosen a Christmas gift for Amy and were on their way to join her at their designated meeting spot in the Glendale Galleria foodcourt. Three-year-old Leah's eyes shone as they passed the twinkling lights hanging from the ceiling, and she hummed along to the holiday tunes playing over the sound system. Sheldon had never been a fan of Christmas, but witnessing his little girl's excitement was chipping away at his Grinch-like attitude.

At the far end of the mall stood a giant tree adorned in red and gold ornaments. Sheldon gave it a cursory glance before turning down the corridor that would lead them to Amy.

Leah twisted her head over her shoulder. "Daddy, let's go to the tree!"

"We already saw it."

"Only the top. I want to see the whole thing."

Sheldon frowned. He knew there was a mall Santa seated next to that tree. He and Amy vowed that they would never lie to their children, and making a child believe in Santa Claus was a huge lie.

When he and Missy were little, Mary Cooper sat them down to explain the legend of the man in the red suit. Sheldon didn't hesitate to point out all the inaccuracies. How could one person possibly deliver toys to children all over the world in just one night? If he was as heavy as she claimed, it was physically impossible to fit in a chimney. Missy looked from him to their mother, unsure who to believe. Mary glared at him, reassured Missy of Santa's existence, then pulled him aside to speak to him in private about not ruining the fun for his sister.

Leah's reasoning skills were miles ahead of other children her age. He reckoned she would have many of the same questions he had. Why subject her to a lie and lose her trust?

Leah tugged on the hem of his shirt. "Please, Daddy?"

Looking into her puppy dog eyes melted his heart. "Just a little closer."

Hand in hand they neared the towering decorated tree. Sheldon stopped abruptly before Santa came into view.

"Closer, Daddy!"

"This is close enough. We don't want to keep Mommy waiting."

Leah pulled on his hand. "I see kids getting in line. Maybe they're giving out candy."

When he didn't budge, she loosened her fingers from his grip and made a beeline for the tree.

"Leah! Get back here!"

Sheldon dodged past hordes of shoppers, never letting his daughter's purple coat out of his sight. Her tiny frame slipped easily between mall goers, making it impossible for him to catch up to her.

"Watch where you're going!" A man yelled when he ran into the multiple shopping bags he was carrying.

Panting, Sheldon stopped next to his daughter who joined the end of the line behind a mother and her twin boys. When he caught his breath, he crouched down to her level. "Never take off like that again. Mommy or I or a trusted friend or relative must be with you at all times."

The little girl looked down at the floor. "Sorry."

"Promise me you'll never do that again."

"I promise."

He gently tipped her chin up. "Good. Now we really need to get to the food court. We're already," he consulted his watch, "three minutes late."

"But I want to see what everyone's waiting for. It's a long line, so it must be something good." Leah took a step forward when the queue moved and craned her neck around the people in front of her.

"Leah, please."

"I really want to know!" She pouted.

"We need to go now."

"But, Daddy!"

Sheldon sighed. Leah was an intelligent child, but she could throw a tantrum just like any other kid. Parents were already looking at them through disapproving eyes.

"Surely you can spare a few minutes for your daughter to see Santa," the twins' mother suggested.

Leah furrowed her brow. "Who's Santa?"

"You're kidding, right?" One of the boys asked incredulously.

Sheldon licked his lips. The trio was staring at him with identical expressions he couldn't discern. Was it disappointment on their faces? Disappointment in him as a father? He prided himself on being the best father he could be. Weekends were family time, and he never allowed work to come in between. Weeknights they also set aside time for learning and play. Every night he and Amy read their daughter a bedtime story, and now that she was starting to read, they continued to sit on her bed while she read to them. Those were things that made him a good father, that and protecting his child from lies.

He turned his attention back to the conversation. One of the boys was describing Santa to his little girl, who was listening raptly with wide eyes.

"...and then he climbs down the chimney and fills the stockings with presents."

"How does a chubby man fit in a chimney?"

As the line moved, Leah continued questioning the boys. When they reached the front, the mother whisked them off to Santa's chair, of which the Coopers now had a clear view. Gift wrapped boxes sat at the tree's base with imitation reindeer strategically placed around the area. Three teens dressed as elves busied themselves with helping the children onto Santa's lap, handing out candy canes, and directing the families out of the organized chaos.

"Okay, you've seen what the fuss is about. Let's find Mommy."

"But I didn't get to sit on Santa's lap."

Sheldon frowned. "Why would you want to do that?"

"For science. He has to be fake, but I need to disprove those boys by seeing him up close."

"You don't need to go over there to make observations. You heard all you need to know, and we can see him perfectly from here."

"Next!" One of the elves called.

Leah ran to her while Sheldon shook his head. Why hadn't he been more persuasive in getting them out of here? Leah was skeptical, just as he presumed, but what if the man in the red suit was convincing enough to change her mind? He stepped closer to the action.

"Ho ho ho! What's your name, little girl?"

"Leah."

"That's a pretty name. Are you all ready for Christmas?"

"Yep!"

"That's good. The elves are busy making the toys in my workshop, and soon we will be ready too. Have you been good this year?"

"Mostly. I ran away from my daddy today but only because I wanted to see what was next to the tree. Does this mean I won't get any presents? The boys in front of me said only good kids get presents."

"One mistake doesn't put you on the naughty list."

"Okay."

"What do you want for Christmas this year?"

"A science kit and educational video games."

"Any stuffed animals or dolls?"

Leah placed her chin in her hand. "Nope. I have enough."

Santa caught Sheldon's eye. "A science kit and educational video games. If you promise to continue being good, I'll see what I can do about delivering those to you."

"On a sleigh driven by reindeer?"

"Of course. That's how I get around on Christmas."

"How long are you at each house? Do you really eat all the cookies? Why don't you get stuck in the chimney?"

"Those are all very good questions. I wish I had time to answer them, but I only have a few minutes with each boy and girl."

"I understand."

A photographer asked them to smile, and Leah turned on her charm. For the third picture, she wore a felt reindeer antler headband provided by the elves. When the flash went off, she handed back the headband then hopped down and ran over to Sheldon.

"Wait!" The elf called after them. "Here's a candy cane, and don't forget to check out our photo kiosk to view your pictures."

"Thank you, but we'll pass on the photo," Sheldon informed him.

"Daddy, I want to see them."

"Fine. We'll take a quick look, then we really have to go."

The elf located Leah's pictures, and with Sheldon hoisting her up, she perused the selections on the screen.

"I want that one," she pointed to the picture with the antlers.

Sheldon sighed as he handed over a twenty dollar bill. He was a pushover when it came to his daughter. The elves waved and wished them a Merry Christmas as they exited the area. Leah slipped her hand into her dad's, while the other clutched her photo.

Sheldon kept his strides short enough for Leah to keep up. He silently berated himself for not checking his phone messages or texting Amy while Leah was busy with Santa. Now with one hand holding his daughter's and the other carrying the gift, he couldn't even access his phone. They rounded the corner and scanned the tables.

Amy rushed to them. "I was so worried. Is everything okay?"

"We had a code red," Sheldon explained.

"A fire? I didn't hear any alarms."

"Not that kind of code red, S-A-N-T-A," he spelled out.

"Santa!" Leah squealed, grinning from ear to ear.

"I tried to steer her away, but you know how persistent she is."

Amy led them to the four-person table she occupied. Sheldon set his bag on the extra chair and accepted the bottle of water she saved for him.

"Mommy, look!"

Amy peered down at the photo in her daughter's tiny hands. "Oh, Monkey, you look adorable!"

"I know!"

"And so modest," Amy chuckled. "So, what did you think of Santa?"

"He's very nice and a great actor."

"Actor? Why do you say that?"

"His beard is fake."

"Is that all?"

Leah shook her head. "The things he and some kids told me don't make sense. It would take superpowers to fit in chimneys and fly in a sleigh led by deer. That's not real; that's just in comic books and movies. Is he a movie character?"

"You could say that. Santa is a character in many movies. He comes from a legend parents have been telling their children for over 200 years."

"Like a fairytale?"

"Not exactly." Amy lowered her voice. "Parents tell their children about Santa in a way that makes them believe he's real."

"Why would they do that?"

"To bring a little magic into their lives, I suppose."

"Magic and malarkey," Sheldon muttered.

"Does Cadence think he's real?"

"I don't know what Uncle Leonard and Auntie Penny told her, so to be safe, please don't say anything about him being fake," Amy pleaded. "It's up to them how they choose to parent."

"Okay."

Amy held the picture closer. "This is really cute though. Maybe I can hang it up over the fireplace with Daddy's Santa picture."

"Meemaw Mary took you to see Santa?"

Sheldon scowled. "Against my will, but those pictures are in Texas where they shall remain."

"I wasn't talking about those. I mean the one you gave me for Christmas in 2014."

"I only got you that because you forced me to celebrate Christmas and eat figgy pudding."

"And out of love."

Sheldon tried to keep the scowl on his face, but he felt the corners of his lips turn up. Even back then he was so in love. "I haven't seen it in years."

"It's in my mementos box. Before we got married, I would take it out occasionally and play your message."

Leah bounced in her chair. "I wanna see!"

"When we get home, Monkey," Amy promised.

Sheldon wanted to protest, but Leah was so excited, and Amy had that faraway look in her eyes that she got when she was reliving happy memories. Hanging that picture for a few days wouldn't kill him. Santa wasn't real, but the love for his family was genuine, and that's all that mattered.


End file.
